Bred in Captivity
by Rhiannon Lovely
Summary: Bella was molded into a perfect member for the Volturi from the start of her life. Emotionally void, they turned her into a soldier until she eventually learns that her life was nothing but an experiment. She escapes with the two people she can actually trust, Jane and Alec. With nowhere to go and the Volturi on a manhunt, they seek help from a last resort. AU Bella/Jasper
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I've been getting bored. Jasper/Bella stories are running into each other, blurring and becoming the same. I'm striving for something different in this, and that means no God of War (credit: IDreamofEddy). I suppose that this is going to remain canon-ish, besides the pairings and some characters will be OOC, which you will see if you decide to read this. Jasper will still kick ass, obviously, but he needs a kick ass Bella too.**

**Now, I am not saying that the stories that feature "Major Jasper Whitlock, God of War" are terrible, because I am a BIG fan of them, but I've just been bored, you know? I need something different and the only way I could get it is to write it.**

**This might be similar to another story, I don't know. Originality is running thin, but I hope that you'll like it anyway. I'm aiming for originality. Hopefully.**

**Warning: Death of children mentioned in this story. Just giving a warning why it's rated M.**

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight, I'm just playing with the characters.**

* * *

**September 13, 1987**

The heavy rain pounded against the top of the large tower as Three Kings sat on their thrones, the lightning illuminating the beautiful stained glass windows of the castle. They could hear the screams downstairs, even over the pounding of the thunder as they waited for the arrival. The excitement was coursing through the ebony haired ones dead and cold veins as he practically bounced in his seat.

"What makes you so sure _this one_ will be a success?" Caius asked, his voice flat and bored. The blond-haired King was uninterested in all this hub-bub, not really caring about Aro's 'experiment'. It had been a complete and utter failure so far, so he held no expectations for it.

"I do not know, dear brother, I can just feel it." Aro replied wistfully, desperately hoping that the feeling was right. He wanted this time to work, and he wanted to be a success.

They all simultaneously froze as a shrill cry filled the air. She was here. She was born.

There were fifteen before her, like her, specimens for Project Eos. All perished before the third injection.

The project was quite simple - create a perfect member of the guard, training the baby from birth, while somehow adding venom into the mix. A super soldier.

They had consulted a doctor to take care of everything, to inseminate the mother and to conduct the experiments. Dr. Carlisle Cullen had first come to Aro's mind, but he knew that the blond pacifist would never approve of the experiment, and Caius really didn't want them at the castle. He had never liked the compassionate doctor.

"She is here," Heidi said, the ebony haired King smiling in the delight. Surely he would be squealing like a kid on Christmas if he didn't have a reputation to uphold. The three of them rose from their thrones and followed her out of the room and to the impromptu hospital room they had put into the castle. It would also be good for the future...

They followed the shrill cry of an infant and walked into the room, seeing the doctor leaning over a small crib and writing something down on a chart while the mother peacefully sleeping on the bed.

The doctor turned as she heard the Kings enter the room and beckoned them over with her head.

"Welcome to the world, Little One. We have big dreams for you." Aro murmured to the baby with a large, excited smile.

"What are you going to do with her?" Dr. Mento asked, gesturing to the baby's mother.

Aro gave a sickly sweet smirk, "Well, I am rather hungry."

**. . .**

Sated and bored, the brunette and blond Kings both walked back to their throne rooms, while Aro stayed in the room designated for the child and watched her, quite fascinated. He had never seen an infant up close and his curiosity was being fulfilled as he studied the sleeping infant. Eventually, he was also bored and a little disappointed as they couldn't begin their experiment for another year. He had been so excited to start.

"Jane, Alec, Demetri, Heidi." Aro called, the older vampires and twins appearing by his side, faithfully awaiting orders, "She is now your charge. Take care of her, the Project will begin in one year."

Heidi looked overjoyed at the order while Demetri looked hesitant, until he saw the look on his mate's face. Whatever put that expression on that beautiful face was alright in his book, and he nodded at his Master.

Both twins eyes almost popped out of their heads as they shared a shocked glance at their orders. _Take care of this baby? _They had no idea what to do, how to act, what to give it, what it needed, yet they were in charge.

However, they were given an order, "Yes, Master."

Aro smiled, especially at the apprehension on his two faithful guard members and swept away in a blur of movement. Heidi dragged Demetri out of the room and castle to go clothes shopping for the new addition, leaving Jane and Alec alone with the sleeping baby. They both shuffled to the edge of the crib and looked down, studying the weird creature.

"Jane...what do we do with it?" Alec asked his sister, who glared at him.

"How should I know?"

Alec shrugged, "You're the girl. Don't you have, like, maternal instincts or something?" Jane just gave her brother a look, which he understood right away. Jane was the farthest thing from maternal and the question was asinine in itself, "Right. Sorry."

Dr. Mento walked into the room and saw their dilemma, deciding to take pity on them. She walked over with Bella's chart and went on to explain how to take care of an infant human; how to change her, how to feed her with a bottle, how to burp and bathe her. Jane and Alec's eidetic memories made sure that they remembered everything, though they paid rapt attention anyway. They were given orders and were going to follow them to complete the task of taking care of her to the best of their ability.

"When she cries, just go through what you've already done. If you've already fed her, then she's not hungry. If you've already changed her, then it's not that. Sometimes she just wants to be held, so hold her. She'll spend the majority of the time sleeping anyway, so don't worry about it." Dr. Mento explained, the twins nodding their heads. She then swept out of the room to feed, since all the blood she was working with made her throat quench with thirst.

The twins were now alone with the baby, the only sound in the 'nursery' was the steady beating of the infants heart and her tiny breaths. They stayed as still as statues watching her in fascination. She was just like a tiny human, Jane mused.

They didn't know how long they stood watching her, until the baby stirred and both twins eyes widened, their panic shooting up when the baby let out a cry and opened her eyes.

"She's crying," Alec pointed out and Jane rolled her eyes.

"No, really?" Jane asked, her tone dripping sarcasm while Alec was just staring at the crying infant. Jane saw that her brother was basically frozen, like someone was using his own gift on him, so she realized that this was all up to her. Reaching down, she carefully scooped the baby into her arms, managing to keep her wrapped into the blankets.

Jane was holding the infant awkwardly, but she had no idea how to hold her and she looked to her brother for help. "Uhm...maybe you should hold her like..." Alec reached forward and helped adjust the baby in his sister's arms, so that the baby's head was resting on her arm and she was more secure. The baby seemed to like that because she calmed down.

Jane's eyebrows shot towards the roof and Alec glanced around, seeing the formula on the table that Dr. Mento showed them to feed her. He walked over and quickly made a bottle, making sure that they were the precise measurements before placing the nipple at the baby's mouth. The hungry baby opened up and started drinking happily, her eyes closing in response to her comfort.

"That was kind of easy," Alec said and Jane shrugged, still uneasy while holding the baby, though she realized that it wasn't so bad.

Thankfully, Heidi sauntered back into the room a couple of minutes later, smiling when she saw them feeding the girl.

"Here, give me the baby," Heidi said and Jane sighed in relief, handing the baby in Heidi's eager arms. Heidi immediately cooed to the girl, holding the bottle up so that she could drink while Jane watched fascinated that Heidi knew exactly what to do and how to hold her. The baby opened her eyes while being passed to the beautiful brunette woman, but closed them again. Jane and Alec saw that she seemed comfortable with Heidi.

"I had a little boy before I was turned." Heidi offered as explanation while Jane and Alec's eyebrows hit their hair lines. They had never known this about 'the fisher'. Heidi smiled down at the girl, though her violet colored eyes were sad, "He drowned in the lake near my home while his father was supposed to watch him. Demetri found me right after."

The twins shared an uneasy glance at this information, while Heidi looked over the moon while holding the now happy baby girl.

"Dr. Mento was explaining how to take care of her to us, but I guess, you don't need to know." Jane mumbled and Heidi smiled, bringing the baby up onto her shoulder and patting her back.

"I think we should name her," Heidi said after the baby had burped, snuggling her in her cold arms. She looked up at the twins, "Any ideas?"

"Eva?" Alec suggested, Jane shaking her head negative.

"Antonia?"

"Elizabeth?"

"Bianca?" Heidi grimaced and shook her head.

"Bella?" Jane said and Heidi looked up to the blonde twin with a smile.

"Bella. Hm...I like that. She is very beautiful," she looked down to the baby girl, watching her intently, "Yes, you are, you are so beautiful, little Bella."

**. . .**

Bella lived happily in the Volturi castle under the constant watchful protection of Jane, Alec, Heidi, and Demetri. Heidi got to act out the mother role she desperately wanted ever since her baby boy perished. Jane and Alec found that they rather liked having the baby around, and surprisingly, Demetri grew fond of her.

The whole Volturi guard were naturally curious about the child, but the protective quartet growled at anyone who even tried to inquire about Bella. Do not even ask about the ones who tried to catch a glance of her.

The day that the quartet was dreading arrived too quick for their taste. They were given a year to shower Bella with affection, before emotions and affections were made to be cut off. Bella's first birthday was when everything changed and she wasn't the baby girl anymore.

She was TS-16, code named "Bella".

That was when the newest test subject for Project Eos was born.

* * *

_**Project Eos**_  
_**TS-16 "Bella"**_  
_**Commencement: September 13, 1988  
Dr. Constance Mento**_

_September 13, 1988_  
_Injection #1_  
_Age: 1 year_  
_...injection of diluted .05 cc of venom. TS-16 demonstrated signs of pain through crying and screaming for thirty seven minutes, before calming..._

_Septemeber 19, 1992_  
_Injection #19_  
_Age: 5 years_  
_...injection of diluted .10 cc of venom. Injection spreading took an approximate time of 43 minutes, before burning stopped._

_Subject demonstrated heightened strength and speed. Temperature, BP, and heart rate still dropping. TS-16 has been feeding off of human blood along with human food. Brown eyes now tinting red, along with growing physical changes - pale skin, glowing in sunlight._

_Subject was able to bend and break metal reflex hammer. Skin durabilty heightened. Syringe was barely able to penetrate skin. Must look into stronger medical tools..._

_September 15, 1996_  
_Injection #35_  
_Age: 9 years_  
_...subject received undiluted .05 cc of venom via reinforced syringe._

_Subject reported that the she felt the burning more intense at the start at injection point of the injection. Spreading took an approximate time of 57 minutes, before burn reduced. About fifteen minutes in, a clear force field surrounded TS-16, not allowing anybody to get close to her. Speculation that it was in response to the pain. Only lasted about five minutes before clear wall disintegrated._

_Subject demonstrating signs of possessing a gift. A shield of some sort..._

_September 24, 2003_  
_Injection #55_  
_Age: 16 years_  
_...subject now regularly receiving .30 cc od undiluted venom monthly. Subject did not show any signs of outer pain as pain control is increasing._

_Strength and speed rapidly enhancing. Subject was able to bend and mold steel bar. Reinforced syringes needed to penetrate skin. Subject is profficient in combat. Vital signs steadily decreasing while venom spreads throughout body._

_Mental and Physical shields are strong. TS-16 is now able to keep up physical shield for three hours before exhaustion. No gifts able to penetrate the force field like wall. Mental shield is perpetual..._

**TS-16 - Successful**

* * *

**September 13, 2004**

The fist that was flying toward her face almost caught her off guard, but she ducked just in time, moving fluidly around the floor, dodging hits left and right. Felix was the best combat fighter in the guard, mentored by Caius himself, who took it upon himself to be in charge of Bella's training.

He was also the tallest and brawniest, but that worked in Bella's favor. The girl grew to hit 5'4, and was more than a foot shorter than him. She was able to duck around his brawny body using her speed and size, which frustrated Felix to no end. She liked to play with him before pinning him, making him frustrated to the point where he would mess up easy.

Caius was now watching from the sidelines, his red eyes spotting any errors and ready to spit fire at you if you falter. Bella could see out of the corner of her eye, his lip would curl into sneer if she messed up. She had known what an honor it was to be mentored by him, so she made it her goal to do whatever it took to not disappoint.

For Bella, combat fighting was just like a graceful dance; you just had to follow the steps.

_One..._

Breathe...Felix's fist flew toward Bella's face...moving at a speed which would be a blur to a human, or a _full_ human. Bella moved her head and the fist passed by her face...she felt the breeze tickling her cheek...step to the right...breathe...

_Two..._

An opening...she grabbed his elbow and wrist tightly, feeling the marble like muscles of Felix's arm. She had taken many hits by this arm before, and the other arm, and his legs, ever since she was thirteen and boy, did it hurt...breathe...

_Three..._

She flipped backward over his arm, landing behind him, bending his arm behind him...breathe...

_Four..._

She pushed the arm upward so that his wrist was between his shoulder blades, almost to the point of detachment...she kicked the back of his knee hard...he buckled...she exerted...he fell face first...she landed on him...her mouth at his neck...he lost...she won...breathe...

_Five._

Bella stood up and Felix stood up with her, both of them facing their Master, hands clasped behind their backs, heads held high, despite the pain in Felix's half-severed arm, faces stoic, backs straight...no breaths.

Caius studied them for a moment, his face giving away nothing. He flicked his eyes back and forth, "You could have pinned him earlier." Caius said and Bella offered a curt nod in response. It was the closest to a compliment that she would receive from him and she took it gratefully. "Dismissed."

Caius swept out of the training area, his fine robes flowing behind him. Once he was gone, Bella and Felix relaxed and turned toward each other, Felix holding up the large hand of his not injured arm. Bella high fived him with a small smile, "Kicked my ass, kid."

"Sure you weren't holding back?" she asked as she held his arm to the socket, letting his venom seal it closed.

"Me?" Felix asked with a raised eyebrow, Bella knowing that he would never hold back against her. The Three Kings didn't want anybody to hold back, since she was durable enough to take the hits. Hell, the first time she trained, it was all her taking hits to see how much she could take before breaking.

The training arena was located in the basement of Volterra. It was dark with sparse overhead lighting, but it was very large with a track surrounding it that they had put in for Bella to run her laps. There were training dummies in the dark corner that they had used when Bella first started training, back when she was six. She barely used them, preferring to fight the real thing. She preferred to fight the men, too. She wasn't weak and didn't want them thinking that she was.

Other than that, the area was empty and would be considered creepy to a human's standards, though Bella felt right at home in it. She had grown up in it, she was molded in it, she was broken in it, she was comfortable in it.

**. . .**

Bella glanced at herself in the full length mirror in her bathroom. She stood completely naked in front of it while the room slowly filled up with steam from the hot shower. After her training, she liked to take a long shower to relax her muscles, and it also soothed any aches and pains.

It was her seventeenth year, she mused as she studied her changed body.

She couldn't consider herself a beauty, especially with women like Heidi, Renata, and Chelsea walking around, but she supposed she wasn't hideous. Her hair was long and dark, falling in curls when it wasn't pulled back into a braid, like it always was. Her face was heart-shaped, her skin was pale, and her features were small. She was told that her eyes were once a dark brown, the same color as her hair, but now they were tinted red, reflecting her blood-filled diet.

Her body was slim, but she held muscle in her arms, legs, and torso. A result of all the training with the guard. She had broken just about every bone in her body, sans her neck and spinal cord, while training. Thankfully, her venom injections helped heal any wounds she received, internal and external. They even healed the bite marks on her, not even a sliver of evidence from the marks.

She had been training with a guard member who was fairly young and his venom coated teeth had sliced into her durable skin. He had gotten a taste of her blood and lost control, before Jane and Alec _took care_ of him.

That wasn't the first time they had set an example of what would happen if you tried to bring harm to Bella, but it was the most brutal. Jane held him under with her influence at the highest dosage, while Alec had dismembered him into dust with his hands before he could be stopped.

That member was expendable, Bella, however, was not.

Bella was a huge success for the Volturi, and Aro was looking forward to creating more super soldiers. Bella was the perfect specimen and on her eighteenth birthday, they would give her the last injection to complete her change. She would skip over her newborn year, not having to deal with the blood lust, the frantic emotions, and then waiting until she's under control to train.

Bella was already trained, Bella was already in control.

Bella was a success.

Bella was perfect.

And they couldn't wait to make more.

* * *

**A/N: Eos was a Titaness and the goddess of the dawn.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Was FF acting a little wonky yesterday, or was it just me? **

**Warning: Slight gore in this chapter. Reader discretion advised.**

**Disclaimer: Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer.**

* * *

**February 2, 2005**

They ran through the streets of Cecina, under the cover of darkness, desperate for an escape. The trio was a blur to any night stragglers in the streets, while they tried to get away from Volterra, and away from Italy. They wanted - needed - to put as much distance as they could between Italy and themselves.

The brunette female named Bella was in the front, the other two flanking her. Her mind was running haywire while her body was nearing exhaustion with how much she had just exerted herself. She was mentally and physically spent, but kept pushing herself. If she slowed down, they could die, if they didn't get away, they could die. She was running on pure adrenaline.

Eventually their running lead them to the cliffs near the beach, all three of them desperate to get out of Italy. The guard would be released after they recovered with Jane, Alec, and Bella all having targets on their back. Bella had to keep her physical shield up around them so Demetri wouldn't be able to track them, if he was still under Chelsea's hold. Past loyalties wouldn't mean anything under the their orders. They needed to get as far away as possible, out of the country. Hell, they needed to get off the continent.

The beautiful and clear water was in sight and without a second thought, they leapt off the cliffs, right into the Tyrrhenian Sea. Their marble like bodies sank right to the bottom and they swam. With their enhanced sight, the trio was able to see perfectly under water and Bella glanced behind her to see Jane and Alec both nod at her that they were okay and still with her.

The water wasn't the most practical method of transportation, but it was all they had. They could get a car, but the water would be easier to hide in. Public transportation would soon be littered with Volturi members ready to snatch them. The great downfall to the swimming plan was that Bella wouldn't be able to hold her breath for that long and would have to continually swim up for air. She would also get tired, even more than she already was, and would need to stop to sleep. Jane and Alec's "twin telepathy" as they had called it was working, both silently telling each other that they needed to watch Bella. As far as they were concerned, Bella was still their charge and she needed to be protected. The guard would definitely come to collect them and drag them back to the castle kicking and screaming, and they needed to stay alert.

Every half an hour, Bella would kick up to the surface to breathe and would swim up there for a bit, the twins still at the bottom, but keeping Bella in sight. They needed to stick together if they were going to survive the manhunt.

It took about ten hours until they finally reached Valencia, Spain and Bella collapsed on the - thankfully - deserted beach. Alec lifted her up onto his shoulder, the girl already passed out from exhaustion. Jane walked ahead, keeping an eye out for any humans who they could feast on, since they knew Bella hadn't fed since the day earlier. Jane and Alec found a cave and brought Bella into it, laying her down on the soft and wet sand, the girl not even stirring.

She had taken on about half of the Volturi guard and the three Kings by herself, only using her shield, so she deserved a little rest.

Both the twins needed to talk, so they traveled deeper into the dark cave so they wouldn't disturb Bella's sleep, and sat face to face. They were quite a sight to see, if you had known them earlier - you wouldn't have believed the state their usual prim appearances were in. Both looked like drowned rats, well, beautiful drowned rats. Jane's hair, usually in a perfect chignon, was hanging out of the ruined hairstyle, slightly tangled. Her outfit was looking haggard from the sea water, as were her brother's. They needed to get some more inconspicuous clothing, instead of the expensive robes they had on.

That was an easy task, as they could just steal them from a store. They didn't necessarily need to bathe, so that wasn't a problem and Bella could sleep anywhere, as she was demonstrating. Both had many plans in their head, but no idea what to do first.

"Jane, what the hell did we do?" Alec questioned his sister, who seemed lost in thought, her red eyes slightly glazed over.

Jane sighed, "We escaped, Alec."

"Yes, but you know we have targets on our heads now, right? Especially Bella."

"I know."

"They're going to be looking for us."

"I know."

"Is that all you can say?" Alec snapped at Jane, whose expression turned icy as she glared right at him.

"What do you want me to say? We're fucked, I know that. Just think for a second. The bonds Chelsea made on us were broken. That means she probably broke everyone's bond when she knocked Chelsea on her ass. She disconnected the bonds that took years to make that strong in one second!"

"We've been under her shield before, why didn't the bonds break before?" Alec asked Jane, who frowned, contemplating this.

"Well, Chelsea's gift is strong and resilient. Like I said, it took a couple century's to make our bonds as strong as they were. We knew we were under her influence, and there wasn't a damn thing we could do. I feel free."

Alec's eyes widened as he looked shocked, "How did she not collapse from that release? All that power..."

"She's strong, that's why. Stronger than anyone I've ever met. Alec, I think that others are going to leave. I have never seen the Kings incapacitated before, but Bella did just that. I think that she started something big. The others will be like us and the ones who remain are going to be sparse. I'm sorry that I don't have all the answers right now." Jane told her brother with a hard glint in her eye, seeing the second the words sunk into his thick skull.

Alec accepted her words and nodded, "Alright. I wish we knew what side Demetri and Heidi are on. Right now, the only people I trust are you and Bella. What we need to do now is wait until dark, get clothes, and get the hell out of Europe."

"Agreed. Bella also needs to feed. Maybe there's an unlucky local around here?" Jane suggested, Alec nodding his head in agreement, "Let's just let her sleep. She wore herself out."

Alec allowed himself to crack a half-smile, "Can you believe that she did that, with just her shield?"

Jane mirrored the smile on her brothers face,"Yeah, I can. Finding out that you were nothing more than an experiment is bound to make someone _a little_ angry. I'm just glad that she didn't use her gift on us. We didn't exactly stop them from conducting Eos. Truthfully, knowing Bella now, I don't know if I even would. I can't imagine not having her in our lives."

Alec shrugged, "I feel the same and if we explain out side, I guarantee that she'll understand. She understands about orders and the bonds from Chelsea. Bella _understands_, that's why she wouldn't be angry. We all followed our orders...or else."

They both glanced to where the sleeping girl lie; the same sleeping girl who would either bring their salvation or their demise.

* * *

**November 2, 2004**

Her footsteps made no sound on the marble floor of a tall castle in Italy as a brunette woman walked at a fast pace down the hallway, her head high as she passed by some guard members walking. The nodded respectfully at her, while she kept her eyes straight.

She was wearing her normal everyday attire - her flexible black pants tucked in black boots and a deep red blouse. Of course, she also had her uniform black robe on with the crest over her right breast. Simple, elegant, but also combat ready, is what Aro said. She wore her prized crimson Volturi crested pendant around her neck and had her hair pulled back into a braid. She didn't want anybody to think less than perfection about her.

It was all she knew.

From the time she could remember understanding words, all she had always been told that she was perfection, that she was incredible, that she was a wonder. She worked hard to keep up that image, and to earn respect around the castle. The words didn't mean anything to Bella, unless she could back it up.

Like clockwork, Alec and Jane fell in step with her, walking slightly in front as the role of her personal bodyguards. According to Aro, she was too precious and needed extra protection. She never argued, as it was an order that she had bodyguards. The sun rose in East, set in the West, and you always follow your orders.

In reality, Jane and Alec were more than just Bella's 'bodyguards'. She couldn't put in words what they were, but they weren't _just _bodyguards to Bella. She trusted them, and they her. She had their back and it was returned tenfold. She would die for them and had no doubt they would do the same.

Being a perpetual thirteen year old wasn't exactly an enticing situation, especially since most vampires disregard you as soon as they see you, and the others, are too scared of your powers.

The twins were angry and they were vengeful, because vampiric society had written them off, and it was worse than human society when you saw a child. You figured automatically that they were ignorant. Most vampires, who didn't know of their powers, did exactly that to Jane and Alec. They used their powers to gain respect, until they didn't need to when Bella was old enough.

Jane and Alec took an immediate protective stance towards her, sending shocks of pain or cutting off the senses of anyone who even looked at the child wrong, until Bella started to protect them as she got older, the injections became higher, and she became stronger.

The trio, in all honesty, could be an unstoppable force. A pain inducer, a sense remover, and a shield. They are probably the three most powerful beings in the world. The brothers all agree that they were a force to be reckoned with...which was why they appeased them at every turn. They could bring down the world itself if they saw it fit.

"Relax, Bella." Alec said with a glance over his shoulder, Bella keeping her eyes straight.

"You know how I am before these things. I act like a pathetic coward. It won't ever go away."

"That's why we're here," Jane said in a gentle tone, which made that weird warm sensation happen in Bella's chest as it felt like it was tightening. She really didn't like that feeling, mostly because she couldn't name what it was, but she wouldn't admit that she found it quite pleasant.

"Thank you, Jane." Bella replied curtly, not wanting to tread into _that _territory. Anything involving emotions was like someone speaking Mandarin to Bella, which she hadn't learned...yet. All in all, she avoided _feelings_ with earnest, feeling it was better to lock it up than express something she didn't understand. That was also frustrating, that she didn't understand it. She understood everything, but not feelings.

She just nodded once to Jane, who gave the brunette a small smile which Bella would see as comforting, others would consider it feral. Even though Bella was more physically older, Jane and Alec still had a fair few years on her regarding vampire age.

They arrived at the injection lab and walked through, seeing Dr. Mento waiting for them, writing on a chart. She glanced up at them with a smile and slid off the stool, gesturing for Bella to lay on the hospital bed, much to Bella's distaste. It was her monthly injection, and no matter how many times she had gotten them, she still didn't like them.

Her pain tolerance was good, but it still hurt. Of course, she kept it under a stoic mask so they wouldn't know. When she was a child, she couldn't hold the pain in and had to scream, the fire feeling it was engulfing her before it mercifully cooled down.

Dr. Mento took the venom reinforced needle she invented when Bella turned six. Through many trials and errors, they were able to come up with soaking the needles in venom, which helped strengthen them, and they were also able to penetrate Bella's skin. They also used that idea and reinforced all of the medical tools with donated venom from Demtri, Heidi, Alec, and Jane. "The Good Doctor" skillfully slid the needle into Bella's vein, injecting the venom and starting the next development.

Jane and Alec sat back and watched Bella receive the injection, her face almost peaceful. The only show of pain that Bella demonstrated was a slightly twitch of her lips or the squinting of her closed eyes. She used to scream and snarl and growl and wail, until she learned to control the pain. Jane, who was an open-sadist (everyone's got their little quirks), sometimes loved to see people in pain, but not Bella. Alec once tried cutting off Bella's senses, but she didn't like it. The dark and silence scared her even more than the pain, so they had scratched that idea almost immediately.

Bella just closed her eyes as she felt the fire travelling up her veins and across her body, taking over everything slowly and changing her. She tried to focus on her meditation, just clearing her head and thinking about nothing.

Sweet, sweet nothing.

**. . .**

With a growl, she threw the attacking opponent off of her, keeping the one who was trying to attack behind her with her shield. She had already taken down two, who were angrily standing on the sideline, thinking about the fact that they were just defeated by a sub-vampire. Bella ducked her combatant's punches and attacks, his steel like hands reaching for her neck to sever it.

Kicking him in his side, he let out a shriek of pain before she grabbed his throat and slammed him down, calling out "Kill!"

It all happened in a matter of a second, almost gleeful that her strength was increasing. She dropped her shield and turned to the next opponent, who charged her head on, demonstrating his lack of training and his age. She easily moved, fluidly, gracefully, until she grabbed his neck with both of her hands, "Kill!"

The fifth seemed to come out of nowhere, but she was prepared. This fighter was seasoned and she gave Bella a run for her money. They battled the longest, neither surrendering, neither able to get a kill, until Bella saw an opening, swinging her leg around and taking her down, hand on her throat. She released this word with a satisfied roar, "Kill!"

She immediately stood up and faced the three Kings, head held high, hands behind her back, inwardly smirking as she heard her beaten opponent pick herself off the ground. Aro stood up with his signature sickly sweet smile, walking forward. He loved his little experiment, especially since she was so successful. He needed, wanted, craved more of them! A whole army of trained vampires!

Training a vampire after they've been turned is sometimes tricky, based on the body state they were changed in. If you train them from the word go, like Bella was, they become personified perfection. Molded into superior vampires, and he couldn't wait until September when he could finally change her and complete the experiment. Then it would begin.

"Brava!" Aro called out, clapping his hands enthusiastically. Caius just looked at Bella with his cold face, while Marcus kept uninterested. He was never interested in anything, so Bella didn't take offense to his lack of response to he performance.

She bowed to the three Masters, before Aro called her dismissal. She didn't escape from the monthly training presentation unscathed, as three ribs on her right side were at least cracked, and a couple of her toes and fingers were definitely broken. Not that she let it show on her face. She would just feed and the miniscule pain would recede in a day or two. Until then, she just had to brace through it until her next injection and then the venom would heal it, like there was no break in the first place.

She made it to her bedroom and sat on her large bed with her back to the door, popping her crooked fingers back into place, before doing the same to her toes. There was nothing she could do for her ribs at the moment, and she hoped that they were bringing her meal to her soon. If she was fully human, her stomach would be growling. They had cut her off human food the year before, and she was glad. She could taste all the chemical garbage they put into it - a downside to vampire traits in a semi human body.

She smiled as she heard the heeled footsteps of Heidi and the dragging footsteps of her meal as they walked down the marble hall. She could hear his cries for help, his pleads for her to let him go, his sobbing, his screams.

And it did nothing to her.

She wasn't going to show him mercy, because she was better than him. She was at the top of the food chain, while he was weaker and pathetic and full of delicious blood. It's all she knew, was that he was food and nothing more. Humans were food. Food gets eaten. That's that. That's what they've always told her, drilled into her, ingrained it into her brain.

The door opened and he was tossed in, before the beautiful fished closed the door again and walked down the hall, whistling a merry tune without a care in the world. Heidi knew better than to get in between a hungry vampire and their meal, so she would send one of the lowers to clean up the mess when Bella was finished.

The girl in question stood up and turned to see her meal on the floor, a whimpering, sobbing, pathetic mess. He was American, which was where most of their meals came from in result of the tourists traps Heidi reeled in. He glanced up to her, bright blue eyes filled with tears, while Bella looked back at the pitiful being.

"Please, let me go. Please, _please_..."

_They always beg_, Bella thought before she crashed into him. A ragged scream tore from his throat that was replaced by a gurgle as her sharp teeth rips into his carotid artery, the pressure in his body releasing his crimson life-force like a bullet, making it shoot onto the red walls, the ceiling, the floor, and Bella's face making her resemble Carrie on prom night. Red walls were a great decision from the Volturi, along with the marble floors which were easy to clean up all the blood.

Bella drank greedily and this human tasted pretty good, in fact, she had drained him in less than a couple of minutes. She worked up a healthy appetite during the training and was now sleepy. She didn't even take a shower before hopping into bed, leaving the drained and dead human on the ground. Her face was covered with blood, along with her chest and hair, but she was just too tired to even give it a second thought. Heidi would send someone to clean up the mess on the floor.

_Red sheets and red comforters were a good idea too, _she mused as she buried her face in the pillow, falling asleep quickly.

* * *

**A/N: Some readers might consider Bella a little arrogant, but I kind of figure that's the Volturi way. She's also pretty heartless, but from the get-go it was stained to not feel, to be ruthless. She'll start feeling soon, with a little help from You-Know-Who (no, not Voldemort.)**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thanks so much for the support!**

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight.**

* * *

**February 2, 2005**

The Volturi made sure that Bella was intelligent. They had Heidi trained to tutor Bella, a little after her third birthday. Thanks to the venom affecting her brain function, she was able to read and write at an advanced level, and comprehended math and science earlier than normal, all barely out of her toddler years.

She was multi-lingual by the time she was eight, the Kings idea so that she would be able to communicate while on her jobs. It was all about thinking of the future, and doing whatever they could to make Bella reach her full potential, and then maybe push a little past that.

Heidi was trusted by Bella, and in turn, a good tutor, but the girl took more focus on her training. Fighting down in the training arena with Felix and Santiago, learning tact and some minor tracking from Demetri, working on her gift with the help of Jane and Alec.

Heidi was getting more and more disturbed as each year passed. Bella was emotionally dead.

Thanks to the Volturi, she had no comprehension of love, or even lust. The Kings had instructed that it was meant to be that way. Mated couples were prohibited to display romantic affection in front of Bella. Heidi and Demetri couldn't even hold hands in front of her. The Kings wanted Bella's focus on training and the Volturi, not distraction from emotions or a relationship. If she was to ever find her mate, they would order him killed immediately. Not that Bella would ever put it together, because she wouldn't even know if he came along.

Heidi noted that Bella was a just shell, a dangerous shell - the perfect warrior that the Volturi created. She held no sympathy to those she killed. Most vampires still retain some of their human memories, so their humanity sometimes lingers. They feel guilty, but the blood lust outweighs it and forces them to attack. Only older vampires don't feel the sympathy and guilt, because they're used to it. Or vampires like Aro and Caius, who are just down right evil.

Bella never hesitated with a meal.

The thing was, Heidi thought of Bella as her own daughter, and was feeling like a failure as a pseudo-mother. There had only been a handful of times she had seen Bella smile in her life, and most of it was within her first year of life, as an infant. She couldn't recall Bella ever laughing, or even showing a sign of mirth.

She never dared to tell her about emotions and life beyond Volterra, until her latest lesson with Bella. She knew that with the right push, Bella would understand and hopefully, try to revolt. Heidi didn't want the girl living like a prisoner anymore. If there was one thing Bella didn't like, it was being considered weak, and comparing her to an animal bred in a zoo would do just that.

"Bella, we're going to talk about something different today," Heidi started as Bella sat ramrod straight in her seat, watching her tutor. Heidi placed a paper on Bella's desk, the brunette furrowing her eyebrows as she scanned the paper.

"Captive breeding?"

"Captive breeding is the process of breeding animals in human controlled environments with restricted settings."

Bella looked completely perplexed, "Why am I learning this?"

"Well, now that you're only months away from the final stages of your transformation, I found that it is similar to you, Bella. You were bred in captivity. Inseminated into a womb, raised in a restricted setting, and trained." Heidi said gently, watching the furrow of Bella's brow deepen. "I figured you could relate to it. Here, I found some videos to watch."

For the next hour, Bella watched the videos with wide eyes, animals being bred into zoos and habitats - which Heidi had to pause the video and explain to Bella. Bella saw similarities between these animals and herself. She was like these animals, kept in a contained place - Volterra - trained, fed. She was no more than an animal for the Kings to play with.

When it was done, Heidi turned off the projector and turned to Bella with a soft smile, "Do you see the similarities?"

**. . .**

She paced like a lion, three strides, turn, three strides. Her mind was in overdrive, she was _feeling _all of these weird things. Heidi had let Bella look at her notes, and she was confused. She used to know that she was Bella, and that she was important to the Volturi. She was a success, she was perfect. No, she was just the first test subject for their little project. She thought that she was special.

She stormed down to the throne room, her strides long and determined. She threw open the door, everyone jumping at the sudden intrusion, while Aro stood up with a smile and looked at his success. Before he could even ask what was wrong, Bella started in a cold, hard voice.

"Was I just an experiement because you were bored?"

Aro's face flashed panic, for barely a millisecond, before he covered up with ignorance, "Bella, what do you mean?"

"No, I'm just TS-16, right? _Bella_ is just my code name. So I wouldn't know that you were just playing with me."

"Calm down." Caius growled, at which point, Bella lost it.

"Everything! All that I am is a lie and my 'life' is nothing. I've been a pawn for you to play with! A test rat for your little experiment! I'm no more than an animal!" Bella raged in anger, realizing that everything she has ever known, was all nothing. Her whole life was just an experiment to satisfy the King's curiosity. All lies. She would be pushed aside and lost in the numbers when the next experiment would start.

Another would be bred for the project, another would be led on in a lie, another would be a pawn.

Caius sneered at his black-haired brother, before turning to the angry brunette, "Bella, calm yourself, now!"

"No!" she roared at her Master, the power of her voice shaking the walls. The three King's had never been told no before, and were taken back with the amount of anger in Bella. She had never demonstrated her emotions before, and it was shocking to see. She had also never disobeyed an order before. Her hands were clenching and unclenching, her whole body shaking with rage, "No. Never again. I'm not an animal and I do not follow your orders anymore."

Marcus watched almost amused at Bella's rage, as she finally understood that she was nothing but a test rat, a science experiment. He was interested to see what she could do with all this anger. Caius was pissed that he was being disrespected, while Aro was worried that Bella would lose her control and the ebony haired man glanced to his surrounding guard members, "Detain her!"

Multiple guard members starting crowding Bella to follow their master's orders, when something happened. Bella had never known this...pain. She had felt physical pain multiple times, but the physical pain only lasted a short while. _This _felt deeper, and it was almost crippling, if the rage wasn't keeping her on her feet. It radiated from her chest, spreading to her head, her arms, her legs. It hurt; oh my, did it hurt and Bella wanted to hurt whoever made her feel like this. They were going to pay for making her feel like this, and as she glanced up, she saw herself being crowded in.

There was an underlining of something else, though. Something strong building inside of her that she could feel, right from where that pain began. She found that she liked it, as it covered up all of the excruciating _pain_.

She had never known power like this. It was anger, it was vengeance, it was betrayal.

Bella saw the guard members moving and snapped, her physical shield expanding larger than it ever had and throwing the guard members away, indenting their marble like bodies into the marble walls. The Kings were even knocked on their asses, their precious and expensive thrones now in ruins. The whole throne room was a mess, the stained glass windows shattered, all the beautiful sculptures either cracked or completely decimated, the thick walls had gaping holes in them.

Suddenly, the door burst open and Jane and Alec ran in, growls ripping from their throats with the perceived threat toward Bella. They took in the destroyed room and Bella standing in the middle of it, relief filling them that she wasn't hurt.

More guard members started running down the hallway, Bella knowing that they needed to get away. Because she knew that she was in so much trouble. Most of the guard members she threw into the walls were getting up and the ones running down the hall were now entering the throne room. Jane caught one who got too close to Bella, pinning him with her gift.

"Come on!" Bella yelled as the trio turned and sprinted out of the room and through a hole in the wall caused by a now-legless vampire, who was trying to mend his wounds. Once outside of the walls, under the cover of darkness, they ran.

They ran, and ran, and ran.

**. . .**

Bella stirred several hours after they reached Valencia, awakening to a dark cave. The ground she laid on was soft and wet, and upon inspection with her hands, she realized it was sand. The last thing she remembered was collapsing on a beach, so sand was not surprising.

Jane and Alec.

She sat up and whipped around, searching for her two allies. She heard noise coming from the East and sprang into a crouch, growls echoing in the cave, which should ward off any adversary. If it was a human, they would be fearful of the wild animal in the cave and Bella would make them a meal, if it was a vampire, they would hear the very angry vampire and instincts would tell them to run away.

If it was the Volturi, she would kill them without hesitation.

She relaxed her pose when she saw the blond twin carefully walking toward her, hands out in front as a show of submission, "Thirsty?"

There was no, "How are you feeling?" or silly observations like, "You're awake!" Jane understood how Bella's brain worked and got right to the point.

"Yes," the sub-vampire replied curtly, walking over to the path Jane had come from. About fifty feet down the way, Alec sat against the cave wall, giving Bella a smile when he saw her. Again, there were no pointless words said.

"It's nighttime and there's a small village near the hilltop. We could get a meal and some clothes," Alec told the girl who nodded, gesturing for him to lead the way.

Bella's throat was burning and she needed blood to replenish her energy. Sleeping only did so much for her, and she didn't sleep that long anymore. Her throat was a minor annoyance, what humans would put as a strep throat, but it would be relieved once she had a taste of that liquid life force.

They snuck under the cover of darkness toward the village, peeking in windows. Eventually, they found a house with a young teenage boy and an older woman who they assumed was the mother. It was quick, the three of them not having any time to meander around. They drained the humans, got rid of them, and took some clothes. The woman was petite, so Jane found a small dress she could wear. Bella, who was too big to fit into the woman's clothes, and didn't want to wear a dress, found a pair of the son's jeans and one of t-shirts, while Alec picked about the same thing.

Now that their tasks were fulfilled, they sat in the living room, trying to decide what to do next.

"Where are we going to go, Jane?" Alec asked, none of them having an answer. Bella sat back and watched Jane and Alec deliberate. She really had no say as Volterra was all she knew and the Volturi took care of them. She had never been outside the walls prior to the breakout, so she had no knowledge of the outside world beside her history lessons. She really had no idea how they were going to live outside the walls.

First off, Jane or Alec needed to change her, but they couldn't do it now as they couldn't afford to have Bella incapacitated for however long her change would last. They didn't even know the affect their venom would have on Bella and if it would cooperate with Aro's venom. Maybe they could just live in the wilderness, hunting when they could, forever.

As Bella mulled over her thoughts, something hit Jane and she frowned at even having the idea to go _there_. Thinking about it even more, she realized that it was actually a brilliant idea, "I have a suggestion but I don't know if it'll work out. It's all we have, though. They'll never think to look for us there. They would never even consider it."

Bella snapped her head to Jane, eager to hear her idea while Alec urged his sister, "What? Where?"

Jane turned to Bella, seeing the curiosity in your eyes. "Bella, take some layers off your physical shield, just for a couple of seconds," she amended when she saw her start to protest. Bella nodded and closed her eyes, peeling back the layers of her shield, one by one, before she didn't feel safe enough to peel anymore. She still had to consider Demetri an enemy and if he got a tone of them, he could track them easy.

"Where Jane?" Alec prodded, impatient and on edge. He was anxious to get the hell out of dodge, so to speak.

"The Cullens."

**. . .**

Over five thousand miles away, in the rainy town of Forks, seven vampires were trying to occupy themselves. One of the two mated couples were upstairs in their bedroom, expressing their love for each other in a very intimate way, the other mated couple were sitting in their shared office, working on different projects.

The blond empath was in his study, reading a book with his feet propped up on his desk; the red-headed mind reader was playing his piano; the ebony haired seer was reading a fashion magazine in the living room, until a vision hit her, making her eyes turn glassy.

_Small blond female, small brunette male, dressed in ratty clothing. Jane and Alec Volturi...standing toe to toe with Carlisle, a third female stood between the twins, her face hazy and unfocused. Talking without words, a shock of lightning lit the sky, Carlisle nodding his head._

"What is it, Alice?"

She came out of the vision to see everyone surrounding her, Rosalie and Emmett looking flustered from their earlier activities. Edward was staring concerned, as he had seen the vision. Jasper had felt her fearful emotions and was frowning, Esme sat next to Alice with a comforting hand on her shoulder, Carlisle gazing with soft eyes, waiting patiently for her to answer his question.

"Jane and Alec...they're coming here...with someone else...a female, but I can't really see her."

Each of the vampire's eyes widened, Jasper feeling their panic reaching high levels. Rose spat out the question, "What do they want?"

Edward decided to answer her, "It was us at the clearing, talking with them, but I can't hear what about."

"When?" Carlisle asked his daughter, who squinted her glassy eyes, before they widened in horror.

"During the coming storm...five days."

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**A/N: Kind of a filler chapter. I just want to jump to the Cullens next chapter. How do you think they'll respond. Thanks for reading.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight.**

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**February 2, 2005**

"Did you swallow too much seawater or something? Did you forget that they _hate _us? No way they'll help," Alec exploded at his sister's idea, while Bella just watched on confused.

"Listen to me. You know how Carlisle is. I think he'll be so disgusted with Project Eos, he'll want to help. We could hide there for a bit before we decide what to do next. I guarantee that he'd help Bella and the Edward could back up our story."

"Who are the Cullens?" Bella inquired, glancing back and forth between the conflicting twins.

"They're an animal drinking coven in America. Carlisle Cullen used to live in Volterra with the Kings, but they parted because of differing views. He's a human doctor," Jane told Bella who quickly analyzed the idea, and thought that it was a good one. These Cullens could help them, maybe hide them for a little. If not, Bella figured that Jane could _persuade _these Cullens to help them.

But first, "How many are there?"

"Seven. Three of them have gifts - a seer, an emphath, and a telepath. Won't break through your shields," Jane informed Bella, who nodded at the information. "The empath fought in the newborn wars, so he has combat training. The others are minimal at best at combat, considering their leader is a pacifist."

"Where do they live?"

"Last time I overheard Aro talk to Carlisle, it was last year and he mentioned Forks, Washington."

Bella glanced over to the shocked boy, "It's the only idea we have, Alec. I say we go to these Cullens."

"Bella, don't be surprised if they treat us bad," Alec said, gesturing toward Jane and himself, "We don't really have the greatest past with them."

"Then I will _make _them help us."

**. . .**

It took about a week for the three to swim to America. A week of swimming, along with stopping so that Bella could rest. They also needed to feed, so frequent stops were made along the way, prolonging the trip. Once they hit American soil, they snuck into the closest clothing store to get out of their soggy and dirty clothes. Jane was happy to get out of the thin sundress she was wearing, while Bella and Alec were just content to find something more comfortable.

Bella realized that what she was doing was the life of a nomad, taking what you needed, keeping under the radar. She found it to be completely different than being at the Volturi. Not bad, just different. She thought she could adapt if need be and she also had the opportunity to observe humans in their natural enviorment. Once that thought crossed her mind, she realized that she really was like those animals in the zoo. She felt completely out of the loop with everything, taking in all the excitement around her with a stoic face, though on the inside she was reeling.

They needed to cross the entire US to get to this Forks, but thankfully they could just feed and move, or stop at a place for Bella to sleep and rest her body.

The thunder rocked against the sky as they entered Washington State through the forests. Bella found that she liked the forest, the calmness was an ease from the bustling of the cities. She figured that if the Cullens denied them, she could live in the forests, hiding from the Volturi. It would be that bad.

She had smelled vampire all over the small town as soon as they came close and they followed the scent to a clearing near the woods. Jane and Alec flanked Bella, running a little to the front while they saw the aforementioned Cullens. The slowed down and calmly approached them, Jane stepping forward.

"Hello, Cullens," Jane greeted with her hands in front of her, not that it gave them any peace of mind. Jane wasn't a combat fighter, and Alec's hands in front of him might inflict some panic since that was usually a sign of his gift. The slow black fog emulated from his hands and it was the last thing that you'd see before he cut off your senses. Bella stood in the middle of them, in her usual stance. Her hands were behind her back, her head held high while taking an inventory of these vampires.

The obvious leader stood in the middle, slightly in front of a caramel haired woman. Five other vampires, two to the left, three to the right - three men, two females.

From left to right: tall, brawny male vampire with dark hair. He reminded Bella of Felix with his stature. Despite his large build, he looked soft and she figured that she could handle him. If not, Jane and Alec could slow him down before she took him out. Blonde female standing a little behind him, tall, a sneer on her face as she looked at the three vampires. Her face was hard, calculating, as she scanned the three new arrivals. Bella figured she was not a threat and shifted her eyes.

The three vampires to the right were standing shoulder to shoulder, not showing any protective affiliates like the others. Tall red-headed male, boy-like and gangly - easy target. Tiny ebony haired female, didn't even register in Bella's mind as a threat - she could squash her like a bug.

The last one, however, sent her instincts on high alert.

Tall and blond, lean, hard gaze, calculating, doing the exact same thing Bella was doing. She immediately took him for a warrior from the number of scars marring his skin. Her hackles were raised and she kept her eyes on him. He would be a worthy opponent and Bella mused that she might have to rely on Jane or Alec with help if things went awry. It was no problem as they could take them all out, but something about the blond mail unnerved her. She didn't like the feeling.

A million different scenarios were running through her head. Bella was confident, however, that it would be an easy fight if it came to that. The three standing before the golden-eyed vampires were lethal and, as Felix always said, 'not-to-be-fucked-with'.

Bella tensed as the leader stepped forward slightly with an easy smile on his face, "Jane, Alec. May I ask what you're doing here?"

Jane shared a glance with her brother which spoke a whole conversation, before turning back to Carlisle, "We...we need help."

It obviously wasn't the answer they were expecting, as all of them just shared looks of disbelief. The younger blond man just kept his eyes on Bella, while she kept hers straight. She knew that he was doing the same that she did to them. He was looking to see how to defeat her in a fight, and her whole body was tense under his gaze.

"No fucking way we're helping the Volturi." Bella narrowed her eyes at the blonde female as she spat out the words as if they were poison on her tongue. Quick-tempered, cold - usually leads to sloppy fighting.

"Well, that's good because we need help staying away from them." Alec said, his tone bordering sarcasm while he glared at the blonde.

"Rosalie," the blond leader said with a stern glance, before turning back to the newcomers, "Is there some kind of trouble?"

"It's actually a long story. I will explain it, but it would be better back at your place."

Carlisle shared a look with his family, who seemed alarmed, yet also curious. Eventually, Carlisle turned back to the three Volturi refugees and nodded.

**. . .**

Bella noted that the house was quite large and white, with many windows giving it an 'open' feeling. The castle usually felt so confined, but she felt comfortable knowing how many escape routes there were in the house. She stood by the window in her normal stance, keeping an eye on everyone and everything. She would be ready if things went awry.

She saw the blond warrior doing the same thing at the window on the opposite wall. He stood almost exactly the same as her, continually looking around to everyone, though his eyes would settle on her for a while. He was the first person whose gaze unnerved her. She was used to being scrutinized in Volterra, being a success in the project, so she was also looked at. It was never an issue, but with this soldier, she felt weird. It was like a tightening sensation in he chest.

Was she getting sick?

She glanced up to te soldier and saw his golden gaze was locked on her, his face stoic but his eyes held something unidentifiable to her. When she looked at him, she felt this weird warmth spreading from her chest but when she averted her gaze, she grimaced. Her chest felt like it was tightening again.

_Definitely getting sic_k, she mused as she watched Jane and Alec share look that held a full conversation. She took a deep breath and started Bella's tale, "It all began with a little idea called Project Eos. It started with a woman being chosen. She was only nineteen, and was beautiful. Her name was Renee. The Kings chose her, took her, and kept her at the castle. There, she was inseminated and conceived Bella. She was born on September 13th, 1987, and the mother was _disposed._"

A collective gasp was shared as they looked over to Bella, who remained indifferent. They were all talking about her, she was the main topic of the conversation, but she was merely a fly on the wall. The vampires unfamiliar to her seemed to understand as they continued to talk like Jane and Alec.

"Heidi and Demetri basically raised Bella for the first year of her life, before Project Eos was launched on her first birthday. The Kings had this idea to inject venom into a human, little by little. Fifteen subjects died before Bella."

Rosalie growled at this, "By _subjects_, you mean-"

"Children, yes. TS-1 through 15 all perished. Every month, Bella was injected with a little bit of venom. First it was diluted and then they gradually moved to straight venom. It was incredibly painful, but it worked. She got stronger, faster, her senses strengthened, her reflexes, her intelligence, everything. She was trained in combat, and is a skilled fighter."

"I assume she drinks from humans," Carlisle said, Alec nodding.

"It's all she knows."

"What's this shield?" Edward asked.

"She can block out physical and mental gifts. Our," Jane gestured to Alec and herself, "gifts are useless against her. Not even Chelsea's gift could manipulate Bella. I'm assuming your gifts are as well."

The three gifted ones nodded, before Esme spoke up, "Why did she stay in Volterra then?"

Jane shrugged, "It was all she knew. She was born in the castle, raised, trained, lived in the castle. She didn't know about an out. She didn't understand that there was anything wrong with the way she was living. Bella single-handedly took out the three Kings and severed our connection. We had thought about leaving before, but we couldn't, because of the bonds."

"We just need a place to stay, to lay low for a while. We figured, this was the last place the Kings would look," Alec murmured almost sheepishly.

"Would you mind if I talked it over with my family?"

Bella frowned at the word, Jasper noticing her face as she looked almost baffled under the stoic face. She was a warrior, not unlike himself, trained to fight. She was like him from his days with Maria, mindless and strong, though ignorant and naive. He had sparse memories from his human life and awoke almost blank as a vampire. All he knew was that he was a Major and deduced that he was the youngest in the Confederate Army. He knew what it was like to be trained as a fighting machine, and sympathized with the girl. He also uncovered another piece of information, making his sympathy deepen on a strong level.

He followed Carlisle out of the house after Jane and Alec nodded to Carlisle's question, following the rest of his family to a place in the woods to talk. Everyone was quiet for a bit, taking in what they had learned. The Volturi had reached a new low, taking to torturing children. They knew they were sadistic, but this was insane.

"Well, what does everyone think?"

"They need help," Esme said, looking back at the house where that damaged girl was. The empath felt Esme's motherly concern for the girl, her growing need to help her.

"I say we tell them to go to hell. No way we're helping them."

"Rosalie!" Carlisle started, ready to scold her, before Jasper cut him off.

"We can't just turn them away," he simply said, Alice scowling at him as she knew what he was about to say.

Rosalie turned her gaze to her faux-twin, "And why the hell not?"

The next words he said shocked everyone and the tone he used was like he had just told them the weather.

"Because Bella is my mate."


End file.
